Select English works of John Wyclif. Vol. 3. Miscellaneous works / edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

CAP. II.

Siþ þe fend is kyng of children of pruyde, he coveytiþ in bateylle to have þe victorye, and herfore he temptiþ hardest

þes men in our of her deeþ, in hope to overcome hem at þe [the evil one is manifest.] laste ende. And herfore, siþ he knowiþ bi wordis of holy wryt þat þe day of doom is nere þis tyme, al ȝif he know noȝt evenly how longe haþ God ordeynede byfore þis day schal come, her∣fore more bisylyche he temptiþ Cristis Chirche. And as Seynt Poul seiþ, þe tyme is more perillous, and herfore schulde ech [1 Cor. vii. 29.] man make him silf stronge, and kepe þat þe fend cast him noȝt doun; for him þat he overecomeþ, and holdiþ him byneþen, he haþ a grete hope to vencusche hym for evere, and so aftir his deeþ evere to dwell wiþ him. And herfore, siþe man is procuratour to þe fend ffor to tempte his broþer, as we may se by Eve, þerfore he castiþ to have many sectis þat bisyen hem faste aboute newe þingis, boþe in newe lawis and sensible sygnes, ffor bi boþe þes schal Cristis ordre be best [shent [supplied conjecturally.] ]; siþ mannes ocupacioun aboute ony þing mot nedilyche be best for contrarie werk. And herfore clepiþ Crist men of newe sectis kynrede of hordom, þat sechiþ suche signes. And as Crist seiþ, wiþ Poule his apostle, þe synne of ypocrisie schulde regne wiþ suche men, siþ þei feyne holynesse by sensible sygnes, and coveytse wiþ oþere synnes beþ huge in her soulis. And þis mevede þe fende, aftir þe dowynge of þe Chirche, to use þe monk Sergyus [The story is well known of the Nestorian monk of Bassorah, called Bahira by the orientals, and Sergius by the western writers, who is said to have predicted the great career of Mahomet to his guardian Abu Taleb, and to have instructed him in ecclesiastical affairs and the tenets of Christianity. See p. 99 of this volume for another mention of Sergius.] , and turne men of þe Chirche to all þe secte of Saresenes, þat is now ful large. And so it semeþ to sum men, þat monkis or false cardinals may bygile þe litil flook now lefte of Cristen men, ffor so þei dide whanne Cristen∣dome was more and more of myȝte. And Antecristis sect is more bi many ordris, so þat, aftir Cristis speche, Goddis chosen schal be disceyved her ȝif it may be, in reversynge of false Cristis. And so, as many men þenken, þe best remedy in þis wer to lyve holy lijf, and trowe holly þe gospel, for boþe in noumbre and speche schal Antecristis clerkis passe trewe men

in God, ffor þei beþ þicker i-sowe. But grope we wel her ground, wheþer it be Goddis, or ellis provid bi resoun, and lefe we alle oþer.

And now in oure dayes, out of þe nest of Antecrist is come [On the late bull of Urban, granting indul∣gences for the crusade against the anti-pope.] an hard maundement, and seiþ to men in sentence, þat hoso confermeþ [corrected; confermermeþ, AA.] Antecristis ordeynaunce in dowynge of þe Chirche, and lettiþ Cristis ordynaunce, he is fully soylled, and wendiþ striȝt to hevene wiþouten ony peyne her or in purgatorie. And ho-evere lettiþ þis decre, and holdiþ on Cristis side, he is deplyche cursid and pursued wiþ Antecristis clerkis. Ffor þei seie, hoso lettiþ decre of þe pope to pursue his adversarie, he is þus cursid [This seems clearly to refer to the bull of privileges granted by Urban VI, in the year 1382, to the Bishop of Norwich, one of which runs as follows: 'Item, habet po∣testatem excommunicandi, suspen∣dendi, interdicendi, quascunque per∣sonas rebelles, seu impedientes ipsum exercere potestatem sibi commissam, cujuscunque status, gradus, praeemi∣nentiae, ordinis, loci, conditionis, extiterint, etiamsi regali, aut regi∣nali, vel imperiali, seu quavis alia ecclesiastica vel mundana, praeful∣geant dignitate.' Walsingham (Rolls edition), II. 77.] ; and hoso pursueþ him and dowiþ þe toþer pope, aȝens þe ordeynaunce of Crist, he is þus blessid. And siþþe Crist was maad man I herde nevere more blasfemye. Leve, wer he noȝt traytour to God and to man, þat in absense of God reversid his ordynaunce, þat God him silf haþ maad for savynge and tenþernesse, ffor love of his spouse, and gabbed her on God, þat God haþ ȝeve him leve to graunte her in erþe boþe pardoun and blysse to breke Goddis firste ordynaunce, and conferme þe ordynaunce þat þe fend tauȝte þe emperrour? And he were traytour to rewmes ȝif he spoylede here peple and tresore of þes rewmes bi suche feynede lesyngis; for temporal goodis and spirytual rebbed he fro þes rewmes. Certis, siþ þe world was maad þe fend feyned nevere more lesyngis to spoyle rewmes of tresore and peple þat makiþ hem stronge, þanne to seie þat ho-so lettiþ to take folke or tresore at wil of þe pope, to distrye his mennye, he is cursid of God and schulde be deed by man; and aftir sendiþ freris and oþer falce clerkis, to make þe peple to trowe, and meveþ hem to þis sentence. O ȝif Ante∣crist and his clerkis in her grene growyng overleyn þus rewmes,

and bigyliþ trewe men, what weleþ þei do whanne þei beþ fully stablid? And þis is þe falseste conquest þat evere þe devyl haþ cast, ffor þus myȝte he liȝtly ȝeve rewmes to his servauntis, and make hem of nowun power to aȝenstonde his cautels. And þus is heresye of þe fend pupplischid in londis, þat he haþ maystrye overe Crist, and his servants overe trewe men. And more falsenesse of þe fend here we never feyned. Stonde we stablyche in feiþ þat Cristis lawe techeþ, ffor it was nevere more nede for cautels of þe fend. He feyneþ false dremes [See Vol. II, p. 166, where this matter of the dexterous use of dreams by the friars, in furtherance of the ends of the papal court, is mentioned more in detail.] of power of Cristis vikir, þat Crist myȝte nevere graunte to such a false cause. And truste we in þe helpe of Crist in þis poynt; ffor he haþ bigunne to helpe us graciously, in þat þat he haþ clofe þe heved of Antecrist, and maad þe ton part fiȝte aȝen þe toþer. Ffor it is no drede þat synne of þe popes þat haþ be longe con∣tynued, haþ brouȝt to þis dyuisioun. And so, ȝif boþe þes hevedis lastiþ, or þe ton bi him silf, þanne schal þe laste errour be worse þan þe firste. And so emperrour and kyngis schulde helpe in þis cause, to maynteyne Goddis lawe, and conquere her heritage, and distroye þis foul synne, savynge þe persones. And þanne were pees founde, and symonye distroyed; for while þis rote lastiþ, duriþ bataylle and symonye. And ȝif þes lordis loveþ God, þei loveþ Goddis lawe; and helpe him in þis cause, ffor to hem it longiþ; and more glorious conquest dude nevere Cristene kyng.